According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, Salicylic Acid Market by Pharmaceuticals Application, Pharmaceuticals, Skincare, Haircare, Food Preservative and Geography - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 2022, the salicylic market was valued at $333 million in 2015 and is expected to reach $504 million by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2014 to 2022. In the year 2015, the pharmaceuticals segment dominated the market, with more than 50% share, in terms of revenue, and more than one-third share, in terms of volume. This was attributed to increase in production of pharmaceutical active ingredients and chemical intermediates using salicylic acid. It is used as keratolytic and comedolytic agents in the pharmaceuticals industry.

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Salicylic acid can be used in conjugation with other pharmaceutical ingredients, such as benzoic acid, resorcinol, coal tar, and sulfur, to produce efficient and effective products. It is used as a wart remover, disinfectant, antiseptic, anti-irritant, and scale lifter, owing to its anti-inflammatory, fungicidal, and keratolytic properties. Salicylic acid is one of the two active ingredients approved by the FDA to treat psoriasis. It is utilized in other medical treatments such as ichthyosis, seborrheic, dermatitis, calluses, and corns. Salicylic acid-based medicines are available as prescription as well as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Salicylic acid is used in low concentrations as its overexposure to skin can cause severe dryness, blistering, heavy breathing, digestive disorders, and skin irritation.

The world salicylic market is highly fragmented owing to the increase in application of salicylic acid products across various industrial sectors. The demand for raw materials for salicylic acid production has increased considerably over the past few years; however, the sources from which these raw materials are derived are limited in nature. The raw material differentiation is less as these materials are obtained from natural resources.